Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-11

a servant of the people, according to the
constitution of the country, then you will,
by virtue of your Office, Internationally
release me.
Referring to the general and inalienable
rights of men, / have called upon the dis
inherited and oppressed masses to oppose
the force of their oppressors-exercised by
armed enforcement of infamous laws, en-
acted in the interest of capital-with force,
in order To attain a dignified and manly
existence by securing the full returns Of
their labor. This and only this-is the
crime which was proven against me, not
withstauding the employment of periured
testimony on the part Of the State. And
this crime Is guaranteed not only a. a
right, but as a duty, by the American
constitution, the representative of WHICH
you are supposed to be in the State of Ill
inois.
But If you are not the representative Of
the constitution, like the great majority of
office holders, a mere tool of the monopO-
lists or a specific political clique, you will
not encroach upon the thirst for blood dis
played by the extOrtioners, because a mere
mitigation of the verdict would be coward
ice and a proof that the ruling classes
which you represent are themselves abash-
ed at the monstrosity o fmy condemnation,
and, consequently, of their W violation
of the most sacred rights ofthe people.
Your decision in that event will not only
Judge me, but also yourself and those
whom you represent. Judge, then.
LOUIS LINGG.
p. SIN order to be sure that this letter
will come to your official notice, l will
send you the original manuscript as a reg
istered letter. L. L.
GEORGE ENGEL's LETTER.
DEAR SIR, George Engel, citizen of
the United States and of Chicago, and con
demncd to death, learn that thousands Of
citizens petition you, as the highest execu.
tive officer of the State of Illinois, TO com
mute my sentence of death to imprison-
ment. protest emphatically against this
on the following grounds:
lam not aware of having violated any
laws Of this country. In my first belief In
the constitution which the founders of this
republic ~bequathed to this people, and
which remains unalterGd, / have exercised
the right ofspeech, free press, free thought
and free assemblage, as guaranteed by the
constitution, and have criticised the exist
ing condition Of society aud succored my
fellow citizens with my advice, which re-
gard as the right o feVery honest citizen. The
experience which | have had in this coun-
try, during the fifteen years that / have
lived here, concerning the ballot and the
administration of our public f~unctionaries
who have become totally corrupt, have
my belief in the existence of
equal rights Of poor and rich, and the &C
ton of the public officers, police and
militia nave produced the firm belief in
me that these conditions cannot last long.
10 accordance with this experience | have |
and advised. This | have done
in good faith of the rights which are guar
by the constitution, and not being
conscious OF my guilt, the ''powers that
be" may murder me, but they cannOt pun
iSh me. | protest against q communication
Of my sentence, and demand either liberty
death. | renOunc any kind of mercy.
Respectfully, GEORGE ENGEL.
SPIES DEFENSE.
The defense Of August Spies may I've
found in many sentences of his letters to
Miss Van Iandt and others, and in his BIZ
ography and his notable address to the
court before sentence was pronounced. In
the latter he said, among other things:
Your Honor, ! speak as the represen-
tative of one class to the representative of
another. | will begin with words uttered
by the Venetian Doge Falieri TO the COup-
Gil of Ten; My defense is your accusa-
ton; the causes of my alleged crime your
history" A little later he says. 'The
contemplated murder of eight men, whose
only crime is that they have dared to
speak the truth, may open the eyes of the
suffering millions, may wake them up.
Indeed, | have noticed that our conviction
has worked miracles in this direction al
ready